Updated 00:40 | Published 00:36
On Sunday morning, buildings in Moscow were attacked with drones.
Now President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns of more attacks in enemy countries.
– The war is returning to Russia, says the President of Ukraine.
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On Sunday morning, Moscow was attacked by three drones. It was the fourth time in July that a metropolitan region in Russia was hit by military attacks.
Now Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sends a warning to Vladimir Putin – about a war that will increasingly take place in Russia.
Zelenskyi calls attacks on Russia an “inevitable, natural and completely fair process” in the war between the two countries, writes BBC.
“War Returns”
In a video speech from the city of Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine, the president says that the country’s military has become stronger.
– Today is the 522nd day of the so-called “special military operation”, which the Russian leadership thought would last for a couple of weeks, he says.
– The war is gradually returning to the territory of Russia, to its symbolic centers and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and completely fair process.
The play contrasts with Kiev’s normal approach; not to take responsibility for attacks inside Russia.
Destroyed house facades
According to Lieutenant Colonel Joakim Paasikivi, the attacks could be a way for Ukraine to make the local population in Russia aware of the war.
– We have seen attacks against Moscow have the effect that the people of Moscow and the Russians to a greater extent now realize that they are actually at war – that it is not just that this is some kind of military operation where the Russians can do whatever they want in Ukraine, but there will be consequences, he says.
According to Russian authorities, all three drones were shot down by Russian air defense, but two of them allegedly caused damage to two high-rise buildings. Pictures show how several windows in the facade of one of the houses were destroyed.
– The facade of two office buildings in the city has received minor damage, writes Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin on the messaging app Telegram, reports the news agency AP.
Responded with nuclear threats
Eyewitness Liya tells the news agency Reuters that she could see fire and smoke.
– We heard an explosion and it was like a shock wave, everyone jumped, she says.
– There was a lot of smoke and you couldn’t see anything. Fire was seen from above.
Vnukovo Airport, southwest of central Moscow, closed all traffic for a short time. In a statement, the Ministry of Defense said an “attempted terrorist attack” had been “countered”.
Dmitry Medvedev, ex-president and now vice-chairman of the Russian Security Council, responded with a nuclear threat.
– If you imagine that the advance of the Ukrainians with the support of NATO would succeed and they would conquer a piece of our territory, then we would use nuclear weapons in accordance with the decree of the Russian president from June 2, 2020. There is no other way out, he said on its Telegram channel.
“Likely” with more attacks
According to Paasikivi, it is most likely that Ukraine is behind the attacks.
– Whether the drones are then fired from Ukraine or from within Russia, by special forces, it is difficult to say. But I think it is Ukraine, because it is logical, he says.
– The night attacks are carried out, as before, at a time when there are few civilians on these targets and in these cases two out of three drones have hit their targets as well; government installations, ministries.
Do you think we will see more Ukrainian attacks inside Russia in the future?
– Yes, I think so. Both against strategic targets – in the past Ukraine has struck the strategic bomber bases a few times, and against Moscow. I think it is not at all unlikely that more of these will come. And the kind of attacks that happen on occupied territory come all the time.